I had an amazing three days touring the Czech glass bead factories and bead shops of Jablonec. If you’ve ever wondered what makes Czech glass beads so special, let me take you on this unforgettable journey.
A trip to the Czech Republic was not even on my radar 6 months ago. We were planning a Mediterranean cruise in September that we had booked 18 months previously. It was a trip that I had dreamed about for years! But then we got a call from my husband’s “adopted son” that he was getting married (finally! He’s 39 and we thought he would never get married) in July in Slovakia. Daniel is a pilot for Fedex, so he could pay for our airfare with airline miles.
We were thrilled with the news, but my husband couldn’t take an extra week of vacation, so we had to cancel the cruise. Since John wasn’t excited about the cruise to begin with, I suggested we skip re-booking it. Instead, we could use the extra week that cancelling the cruise gave us to visit Prague and the bead factories in Jablonec. He agreed. I really had no idea what to expect, but it was one of the best vacations of my life!
3 Things to Know Before You Go
- Choose a tour guide that has a good relationship with the bead Czech glass bead factories and can get you access to the back rooms
- Make a list of the beads you want to purchase along with current prices
- July is not the ideal month because whole factories shut down for vacation and it can be extremely hot. Air-conditioning is a luxury!
Our Tour Guide – Bananas 4 Beading
Let’s must first talk about our tour guide. I am not the type of person that does a lot of research. I fly by the seat of my pants most of the time. (Does that analogy date me?) Anyway, I had read in Facebook groups posts from people who had gone to Prague and Bananas4Beading was mentioned as a great tour guide. They had good reviews and they took care of everything and that was good enough for me.
I cannot stress enough how wonderful they were in taking care of us and getting us access to the “back end” of the bead factories. Keith and Simi Dudman are Bananas4Beading. Simi (Simone) is a Czech Republic native who met her husband, Keith, while living in England. Keith usually runs the tour, but he had a previous commitment, so Simi was our guide for our 3 day journey.
She picked us up at our Prague hotel Monday morning and delivered us back to Prague Wednesday evening, did whatever we wanted to do, helped entertain my husband while I shopped, never made me feel rushed, and tirelessly answered the endless questions from John, sometimes the same question 2 or 3 times.
Check out their website: www.bananas4beading.com
Jablonec – How the Beads are Made
Just two hours from Prague, Jablonec is a beader’s paradise. We started our adventure at the Bead Museum, which chronicles the rich history of bead and button making in the region. Bead crafting here, began as a true “cottage industry” with specialized homes designed for bead-making, few of them are still spotted today. They had 2 smokestacks, one at each end for fireplaces, and a special ventilation hood in the middle.
Most of the cottages have been renovated but you can still see some in its old styles today.
The factories we toured still have some of the original equipment from 100 years ago as well as modern day equipment so we could see how innovation over the years has made advancements in the process. Glass beads from this area are still pretty much hand made, and it is a very labor intensive process. We were in awe and dumb-struck at the pride and labor that they put into producing a quality product. They love their beads and were eager to show us their production. I will give you a glimpse into this amazing industry, it will make you see those beads differently from now on.
Pressed Beads
Pressed beads is the way most beads are made, they are ‘pressed’ into the glass rod by a mold, as the mold presses down to form the bead, a spike is driven through the center of the bead to create the hole through the bead.
The first thing you have to understand about glass beads, is that they are all made from glass rods. Preciosa makes all of the glass rods. Yes, that’s right—the same company known for its beautiful crystal beads also makes the glass rods used by all bead manufacturers. You see, the bead manufacturers work together to keep the bead making industry alive in this part of the Czech Republic.
Everywhere we went, we saw tons and tons of glass rods!
We had a rare opportunity to watch, as beads were manually pressed on a machine over 100 years old. This man has been doing this job for over 35 years. I have a feeling he is the last of his kind and when he decides to retire, this skill will be lost.
He keeps 4 glass rods in the fire to keep them hot, picks up the first rod and puts it into the press, can stamp out about 5 beads before the rod cools, stamping the press down with a foot lever as he pushes the rod through, then puts that rod back in the fire and picks up the next rod and repeats the process and does this all day with a half hour for lunch.
Tumbling the Beads
You know how pressing a mold into Play-Doh or cookie dough creates extra dough around the edges that needs cleaning off? The same thing happens when you press glass beads—the bead becomes part of a larger piece of glass and needs to be separated. Tumblers are used to do this.
First, the beads go into a wooden box, where they tumble around like clothes in a dryer. This process breaks them free from the large glass shards. Then, the beads pass through a sifter to separate them from the shards.
They put different types of beads into the mixer together in order to fill it up, so now the beads will have to be washed and separated, either by machine or by hand.
Now comes one of the unbelievable parts. The beads are put into small mixers, like cement mixers, with water and very, very fine sand. They are all tumbled together, 24 hours a day, for 1 – 2 weeks depending on the bead! This process gets rid of any remaining sharp edges and smooths out the beads, similar to what the ocean does to beach glass.
We were fortunate with our tours of the Czech glass bead factories in that we got to see snippets of the process at each factory so that by the end of the 3 days we were able to put the whole process together.
Faceted Beads
Faceted beads are cut the old-fashioned way. The operator loads up a set of beads on a tray with pins to hold the beads. She puts the tray into the machine and then presses the lever to preset adjustments. Each press turns the bead and makes a cut. The number of cuts is determined for each beads.
Fire polished beads are loaded up on a conveyor belt and sent on a slow trip through the oven. Before this modern advancement, the beads were loaded on trays and manually fired in a labor intense process.
I hope I have given you an appreciation of what the term “Czech Glass Bead” really means. It represents an industry over a 100 years old and a way of creating a quality product that many of the people in the area are desperately trying to hold on to. They know that there are cheaper, faster ways to make the beads, and that they will eventually not be able to compete with beads coming from other parts of the world. But for now, they are clinging to their traditions for as long as they can.
Shopping
And yes, there was plenty of bead shopping! Each of the factories had a warehouse of beads that they let me shop in. Although they didn’t require a minimum amount to spend, they packaged many of the beads in kilograms, so I had to consider that. Everyone was very nice, only a handful of people spoke English. I never felt pressured to buy or rushed to leave.
In addition to the factories, there are lots of regular bead shops. You will find everything and anything if it has to do with beading.
Just do not expect super-cheap prices! You might be in the town where the beads are made, but the prices won’t be much lower than what you’d pay in the States, as you might expect. The best advice I can give anyone planning to visit Jablonec and see the Czech glass bead factories is to plan ahead. Make a list of what you need to buy, along with the price you’d pay back home. When you get there, the sheer number of choices will overwhelm you, and you won’t know where to start. Your brain will overload, and you won’t be able to make a decision.
Lampwork Beads
In addition to the traditional Czech glass beads, we also visited a Lampwork bead shop that sold beads as well as finished jewelry pieces. They made all of their own beads and let us watch the ladies as they performed this delicate art. Note the glass rods in the video!
This is picture of a 100 year old table, we used it to create lampwork beads. Note the lamp on the table. Is that how they got the name? Looks like a dangerous contraption to be using in your house!
Prague
You can’t talk about going to Jablonec to see the Czech glass bead factories without at least mentioning Prague. It’s a city brimming with culture, charm, and, of course, delicious food.
We arrived by train Friday night from Slovakia. We spent Saturday and Sunday sightseeing and eating. When you live in rural southeast Alabama, one thing you really miss is good food! There is plenty to do and see within the city and day trips from the city. If you are going for the beading, you definitely need to spend a few days in Prague to soak up the culture. Spending a few days there, surrounded by historic beauty and indulging in local cuisine, was the perfect way to end our Czech adventure.
If you ever find yourself in the Czech Republic, Jablonec is a must-visit for any bead lover. This trip has forever changed how I view Czech glass beads—each one represents a century of tradition, passion, and artistry.
